Erik's journey in the world began in Copenhagen, Denmark. Son to Trutt and Wyllie Herschend.  He was one of four siblings. Erik was a graduate of the University of Copenhagen with a degree in business. During World War 2, Erik led a Danish resistance against the German occupation. 

Erik had a pension for travel. By the time he was 30, he had traveled to every state across America. He never said no to a good pastry. He loved his time outside and if he wasn't sailing he was playing tennis. He met any game of chess with excitement. Being in the middle of any social scene was easy for him. He was happy with a frosty pint. Erik always had a comb in his shirt pocket.

He displayed an early life of vigor and gusto that would quickly become an engulfing love story with his then wife, Mary Rose Sainty. The two met while he was traveling through England in 1951. Falling deeply in love, Erik and Mary left the shores of Brighton for the shores of Canada where they would welcome their first born, Suzanna, two years later.

From the north of Canada down south to sunny California, Erik and family settled in idyllic Marin County of the Bay Area. Surrounded by redwoods, golden hills and windy roads to pristine beaches, Marin County was everything Erik and Mary could hope for. In 1956, Erik and Mary would welcome their second born, Michael.

Settling into everything California had to offer, the family of four was busy with all good things in life. Sailing on the bay as members of the St. Francis Yacht Club, regular rounds of tennis, long weekends up at Lake Tahoe, drinking good wine. Many lovely nights were spent dining al fresco with his family and friends in the garden watching the sun go down while the crickets chirped. These were also the days, that Erik collected major stamps in his passport. His feet touched down in Bora Bora and Costa Rica. He experienced Carnivale in Brazil. He wandered the streets of Japan. Had tea in Iran. He knew all of Europe like the back of his hand.

Erik was, most certainly, a multiple hat wearer. He was a doting father. He was the Vice-President at Max Factor. He was also a Founder of the San Francisco chapter of the Danish Club. He described the Danish Club as an opportunity for a network of business professionals that had moved to the Bay Area from Denmark to gather, eat smoked salmon and stay sharp in their native language of Danish. His wife Mary described it as a group of tough ol' birds getting together to gossip. The actualities of the Danish Club remain unclear to this day. But we'll take Erik's word for it.

In 1964, Erik and Mary's son, Michael, would leave the physical world behind from a long and arduous battle with leukemia.  The loss of Michael was tragic. Erik, Mary and little Suzanna were heartbroken. Three years later, Erik and Mary would unexpectedly welcome an adopted son into their lives. Eight year old Fred, was an immigrant from Iran, that needed a home under special circumstances. Erik and family fit that mold of circumstance perfectly. Fred became an extension of their hearts not a replacement for what was lost. Fred would find family with the Herschends. The Herschends would find healing with Fred. 

During this time of transition for his family, Erik left the confines of the VP corporate 9 am to 5pm life, and became a salesperson with Kiwani. Kiwani specialized in the building of medical laboratories in Bay Area hospitals, science research facilities and military bases. Erik, even with a more fluid work schedule was able to maintain the position as their number one salesperson for years. His time at Kiwani had only one moment of regret and that was not saying, yes, to a stock offer as payment from small biotech start-up, Genentech. From Kiwani, Erik made an investment with colleagues into a sign business, AGS (Architectural Graphic Services). AGS became a Bay Area staple in the signage design and production game in the 80s. You'll find AGS signs still up to this day at the San Francisco Zoo and San Francisco Airport.

In 1990, Erik and Mary parted ways amicably. The two vowed to remain friends. (Spoiler alert! They stayed true to their vow of a life long friendship.) In that same year, Erik followed his son Fred (now Farid) to the shores of Honolulu, Hawai'i. Erik bought an ocean front condo in east Honolulu complete with a private dock and red kayak. He'd have a daily kayaking constitution at sunset. Erik had officially entered his retirement era. His social era (and tan) was able to flourish. Erik launched the Honolulu chapter of the Danish Club. Where Erik went, he always found fellow Danes.

It was with these Danes, that Erik worked on his tennis game and his swinging arm with his new found hobby of golf. It was with these Danes, that Erik would run circles around them in rounds of chess, backgammon, dominoes and bridge. It was with these Danes, that he attended some of the swankiest parties Honolulu had to offer. He was hob-knobbing with the who's who of his island home. He was lunching at the Outrigger Canoe Club regularly. Erik, while still a proud Dane was not picturing a life where the thermometer read anything below 78 degrees Fahrenheit anymore. He took an oath of warmth over the chill.

In 2006, while playing doubles tennis, Erik met Hiroko Byrnes. The two bonded quickly on the court and soon it was game, set, match for the pair. They moved in together to a high-rise building with views of the Pacific, overlooking the Ala Wai canal. Watching the outriggers paddle by from their condo's lanai became a part of their evening wind-down. In 2016, Erik and Hiroko became a official with a tie of the knot. Erik was a front seat guest of Hiroko's Japanese culture. Hiroko was an accomplished ikebana creator and instructor hosting weekly flower arranging classes at the condo. She expanded Erik's culinary palette into the land of Japanese cuisine. Erik, in his younger days, would have never guessed that he was trading his beloved potatoes for white rice, in his golden days. Hiroko's homemade curry was a comfort food to Erik. Hiroko was good to Erik. You could hear her tell him regularly in her sweet half English, half Japanese tongue, "So handsome desu ne."

In summer of 2021, Erik with Hiroko by his side, made the challenging decision to leave warm Honolulu to join his son Farid and his family in cooler Reno, Nevada. Erik's oath to warmth  was ending to reaffirm his most favorite oath of being a family man. Erik while still exemplifying major sharpness and wit in mind, was physically needing more familial support due to his multiple complicated diagnoses involving his heart, GI tract and prostate. Erik's new home in Reno was one of leisure and ease. Very different from the buzzing city life in Waikiki. Erik spent his days enjoying the beautiful sight of the Sierra mountains from Farid's five acre home where a stream ran through, quenching the thirst of visiting wildlife. Farid along with his wife April and their youngest daughter Nikki had a menagerie of animals in their care that got accustomed to Erik and Hiroko in their midst. Erik found an affinity for a goose named George. George loved to be pet but also loved to bite. Erik, even in his nineties, was a glutton for punishments. Not wanting to be anything less than a Viking, Erik would take a daily gamble with tickling George's neck, asking himself, "Is today the day George bites me?" One of the family dogs, took a special interest in Erik - Albert the Belgian Malinois. Albert often laid at the foot of Erik and Hiroko's bed. While Erik enjoyed the company of many dogs in his life,  he admitted that Albert was truly one of his favorites. A regular sight in the evenings, was Erik petting Albert while engulfed in one of his many favorite James Bond movies. If not a James Bond movie a Forty Niners game. Erik was forever faithful to the Bay when it came to football.

Erik was a kind and gentle soul. He loved his family and would do anything for them. He genuinely appreciated his friendships and made sure to nurture them. He understood the value of care and tenacity in both his professional and personal life. He loved to hum and whistle to pass the time (or to avoid an awkward conversation). He was always patient even in the most hard pressed of moments. He was an athlete. He always came to dinner with a collared shirt. He was never bored. He had the best smile. He will be forever handsome. Erik will be missed by all that were lucky to share this life with him.

Erik was cremated and laid to rest under the same Monterey Pine tree overlooking Limantour Beach in Marin County that his son Michael was laid to rest at. His family said their goodbyes as Judy Garland's song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" played.

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